A Long Bumblefoot interview for Metalliville

[Silent Jay]

http://metalliville.co.uk/bankup/INTERVIEWS%20Folder/Ron%20Bumblefoot%20Thal.htm

http://gnrtruth.proboards.com/thread/1470/bumblefoot-interview-metallville

Then I crossed paths with Guns ‘N’ Roses. Not something I planned or expected and that was ten years ago. It’s been a very interesting ten years to say the least.

Ron: I would say one of the highlights was playing Madison Square Garden in New York City because that’s where I saw my first Kiss concert in 1979 and it’s just a goal for every New Yorker to play Madison Square Garden. So doing that felt like I hit a real milestone.

Another one was we played in 2012. We did an acoustic show, actually two acoustic shows in a row – one each night for Neil Young’s ‘Bridge School Benefit’ – it’s a benefit to help children. That to me was one of the most important things Guns ‘n’ Roses did because it wasn’t about just entertaining the crowd which is, you know, a valuable thing and you know, people’s happiness is very important. But to put that towards something that really benefits people and could make peoples lives better to help children.

To me, that was the most important thing that Guns ‘N’ Roses did while I was with them. But yet, I guess you could say putting out ‘Chinese Democracy’ also and now the new live DVD or live Blue-Ray that’s coming out. So there’s been some releases at least – that’s good.

Glenn: Awesome and you’ve just finished the Las Vegas Residency with Guns N Roses (May 21 to June 7). How was that?

Ron: That is always fun. You can’t have a bad time in Vegas. The residency was wonderful. It’s great to be playing in the same place on the same stage where you could really build the show and start adding songs and get comfortable and grow. We did that. We started doing songs that we hadn’t played. We started doing the song ‘Yesterdays’ that Axl hasn’t done in 21 years. We started bringing back some ‘Chinese Democracy’ songs that we weren’t playing like ‘There Was A Time’ and ‘Prostitute’. So I think a lot of fans were happy with that and tt was just good vibes. We were just all having a lot of fun.

Glenn: I don’t know if you are allowed to talk about it but do you know if there’s going to be a new Guns ‘N’ Roses album coming in the pipeline?

Ron: I don’t know. I mean, I know Axl’s just did an interview where he talked about a lot of the ‘Chinese Democracy’ era music that he wants to release so I’m hoping he does that, you know the fans want it.

Glenn: We do.

Ron: They definitely do and I hope that all that comes out. I’d love to see him release everything from that whole time period – just a big box of music. Put it out. I would love to see that with interviews and documentary footage and everything. Just to take that whole chapter of the bands history and share it with the fans. I don’t know what the plans are. But that’s me personally, that’s what I would love to see happen.

Ron: I like when we do the song ‘Shackler’s Revenge’ off the ‘Chinese Democracy’ album. I feel it’s very self-indulgent. I did a lot in that song. I feel like I play a big role in that song as far as the guitar-work, singing backing vocals – doing both at the same. Doing these crazy two-handed tapping riffs while singing on top of it and I feel like I get to show a bit more of what I do and it keeps me busy. It makes my brain happy. So yeah. It’s a bit self indulgent. I like it for self indulgent reasons. I mean I like the song. It’s a high energy song and I like it when we do high energy songs. But definitely the self indulgent part where I get to do a lot.

Also you know, being in Guns ‘N’ Roses when you’re playing music that other people wrote and recorded, it’s nice to be able to do something of your own that a part that you wrote and recorded. At some point you need to have that in order to feel like this is yours.

Glenn: That makes a lot of sense. What’s Axl like to work with and hang out with? You hear all these things about him and you just never know. What’s he like to be around? Is he a cool guy?

Ron: Yes he’s a lot of fun – telling jokes, telling stories, he likes to see people having a good time – ah yeah. You know, people see the stage persona and people want to be entertained by their entertainers so people will definitely expand on situations and invent situations and try and create a legacy that’s more entertaining. So they’ll take the stand-out moments of someone getting angry or whatever happens and they’ll try to make it as if that’s what defines who that person is. But it’s really not the case.

You take anybody and they’re gonna get p*ss*d off at some point during the day. The only difference is, you know, when you have a lot of eyes on you, those moments when you get p*ss*d off, everyone’s like “Yeah, this is entertainment” and they just love it and they feast on it and they wanna see it happen again and they start to really want you to be that in the forefront and they start thinking of you as if that’s who you are in the forefront and I see it happen to a lot of people.

Glenn: Right.

Ron: It’s like the 1% of your day where you’re something more than calm in any direction is what people are gonna jump all over and say, “That’s who he is”. Then someone that never hung out with him will say, “So what’s he like? Is he like that? That 1%?” and I’ll say, “Oh that’s just a normal 1% of a person.”

Glenn: Exactly.

Ron: The other 99% is a caring dude that just has the same things that.. you know, that the heart and spirit wants like everybody else.

On Malmsteem

Ron: This was my first time hanging out with Yngwie and playing together, jamming together and being on the same stage – what a nice guy. My god. He is there with his Son, Antonio and his Wife and I got to meet everyone in his band and his crew. Everybody is just wonderful – hitting it off really well. Having a lot of good times and my god can he play! Amazing! Phenomenal!

On his new album

When I finished that tour we jumped into the studio, we laid seven drum tracks and after I forced myself to write the rest of the album while I am on this tour and when I finish this we’ll finish recording the rest of the tracks and I wanna get this album out as soon as possible and then find the best ways to share it with the world and get out and start playing everywhere I can.

It’s coming out well. It’s very melodic. It’s again some other kind of growth spurt. It’s very melodic. I feel like I am writing very singable guitar lines that the guitar melody is gonna really stick. They are gonna stick with people or I hope they do. I mean, that’s the goal, is to try and write the guitar line that really affects people and I feel affected by them. I love the melodies that are coming out and I just hope other people do too.

[bran]

he has the right of it, just put all the CD stuff into a big box set and release it.

[Iron MikeyJ]

He talks about his time in gnr like it is over, does anyone else get that feeling? Past tense....

[Ali]

He talks about his time in gnr like it is over, does anyone else get that feeling? Past tense....

He alternates between past and present tense.

Ali

[magisme]

Axl should promote Ron to manager and ship TB back to B. Love his comments about releasing CD era stuff, and about his need to play music he had a hand in writing.

And it's great to hear about Axl joking around a lot. Seemed like he was in a good mood.

[Rovim]

(We laugh)

can't wait to hear the new solo album. Liked Argentinian Tango and the other shit he played live. Some cool ideas there.

Edited June 30, 2014 by Rovim

[Bruno P.]

Axl should promote Ron to manager and ship TB back to B. Love his comments about releasing CD era stuff, and about his need to play music he had a hand in writing.

And it's great to hear about Axl joking around a lot. Seemed like he was in a good mood.

:lol: i'm pretty sure he looked less bloated

[maynard]

Axl looks less bloated 99% of the time man, the 1% is what you see in fan pictures.

On topic: cool interview. he's clueless about anything related to a future GNR album. he's a touring musician. his parts on CD were minimal. and i'm still wondering: Is he IN or OUT?

[yourcrazy]

I totally agree with putting out a box set of all the CD era music and behind the scenes interviews etc.

[trqster]

Axl looks less bloated 99% of the time man, the 1% is what you see in fan pictures.

On topic: cool interview. he's clueless about anything related to a future GNR album. he's a touring musician. his parts on CD were minimal. and i'm still wondering: Is he IN or OUT?

As long as Axl's keeps opening his touring wages coming he'll always be IN and rightly so! I mean who wouldn't (honestly)...?

Rock on Ron!

[guzzy]

great about that BIG CHINESE BOX! thatd make a lot of good and peace for everyone. If CD2 would be a doublé plus remix thatd be a fucking DREAM!

[JAEBALL]

Its very frustrating to me that somebody who plays with Axl for the past what...8 years now? clearly "gets it" when others in the band and around the band clearly don't

I like Ron but whether Ron continues to tour with Axl in the future or not... I don't really care... because like he said any album we get will be 15 years old anyway... another guitar player can play Robin and Bucketheads parts just fine im sure

[BangoSkank]

Ron:

To me, that was the most important thing that Guns ‘N’ Roses did while I was with them. But yet, I guess you could say putting out ‘Chinese Democracy’ also and now the new live DVD or live Blue-Ray that’s coming out. So there’s been some releases at least – that’s good.

I'm going to go out on a limb and say that's a bad sign about Ron's future/current standing with the band.

[Crash Diet]

Ron:

To me, that was the most important thing that Guns ‘N’ Roses did while I was with them. But yet, I guess you could say putting out ‘Chinese Democracy’ also and now the new live DVD or live Blue-Ray that’s coming out. So there’s been some releases at least – that’s good.

I'm going to go out on a limb and say that's a bad sign about Ron's future/current standing with the band.

Yeah, he's clearly done with the band.

Also it's nice to hear BBF knows what the fans want. make BBF the manager and sack TB completely pls

[SlashisGOD]

Cool guy. At least someone in this out of touch "band" knows that the fans want new/unreleased music. Of course his influence is jack shit when it comes to Axl but time shall tell I suppose. If the past has shown us anything, time will tell us the same damn thing as always.

[niceguy]

Jesus Christ, we get it-- Axl tells jokes.

We. Fucking. Get it.

[wasted]

great about that BIG CHINESE BOX! thatd make a lot of good and peace for everyone. If CD2 would be a doublé plus remix thatd be a fucking DREAM!

All you Can Eat Chinese Buffet.

[RandallFlagg]

So what exactly has prevented Axl from doing an Ep of 4-5 CD songs leftover and 2-3 new Guns songs until a 2015 full record?

[maynard]

So what exactly has prevented Axl from doing an Ep of 4-5 CD songs leftover and 2-3 new Guns songs until a 2015 full record?

The old one, of course.

[Nulla Lex Ink.]

Huh, looks like he's really kinda maybe possibly sorta out of the band now. Oh well, bound to happen one day. Wonder who the replacement of the replacement of the replacement of the first replacement will be. That came out harsher than I thought it would, but really, everyone who has joined since Paul Tobias' departure, no matter how talented, has just been a touring/studio member, unless Richard did more writing/playing than I think he did.

Jesus Axl, just release something already. Anything. One song, even if it's on the level of "My World". We'll eat it up. I promise.

All joking aside, I think what's preventing Axl from releasing stuff is level of completeness, in his eyes anyways. I think "Going Down" could be a single worthy song, but Axl might think "Well, we have to tweak the guitars a little bit, maybe add a few additional drum tracks. Yeah, that's what I'm picturing up here." It's weird reasoning, but nothing this guy does ever makes sense to me. Also, is it at all possible that there are tracks he STILL hasn't laid down vocals for?

[RandallFlagg]

If it takes him four and a half years with a stable band to THINK about recording, lord help us all.

[Iron MikeyJ]

If BBF is done, then I want Slash back. Give Tommy the boot and bring back Duff and Slash, with Izzy as a writing/occasionaly playing member. I would personally be fine with a gnr line up consisting of Axl, Slash, Duff, Fortus, Ashba (although not sure if he is needed), Frank, Dizzy, and Pitman. I'd call that line up Guns n' Roses.

[SlashisGOD]

Sack Ashba and that useless fool Pitman, bring in Gilby and Matt/Steven and then we're talking.

But of course everything that has to do with delays in Axl land is Slash's fault.

Edited June 30, 2014 by SlashisGOD

[Silent Jay]

Sack Ashba and bring Gilby? ha! No thanks.

[dalsh327]

So what exactly has prevented Axl from doing an Ep of 4-5 CD songs leftover and 2-3 new Guns songs until a 2015 full record?

He probably hasn't given it much thought, but even though Axl likes to do things his way, the EP is a good barometer of interest in new music without having to put an assload of promotion behind it, plus it's not like GNR never put EPs out before.